MoldMaking Conference Session Spotlight: HOT TOPICS

Here are three MoldMaking Conference sessions you won’t want to miss:

RESHORING How to Successfully Reshore Tooling

Rita Moore, Senior Manager Global Sourcing-International, Sloan
Andrew Peterson, COO; Becca Peterson, Director of Business & Community Development, Pyramid Molding Group

This presentation will highlight the advantages of collaborating with a U.S. supplier to bring tooling back stateside. Insight will be gleaned from the moldmaker and molder, and also from Sloan Valve's Senior Manager, charged with sourcing new products. In this discussion, we will challenge the traditional mindset that cheaper is better by discussing the advantages of time-to-market, savings in air freight and other shipping costs, working within similar time zones and the value of your intellectual property. We will also examine the importance a relationship with the OEM and the benefits of working with a molder who manufactures their own tooling in-house and shoulders the responsibility for that tooling – eliminating frustrating finger pointing.

Use Promo Code: CHRISTINA to get 20% off your registration!

SUSTAINABILITY Playing the “Part in Systems Thinking and Sustainability

Tory Flynn Chief Sustainability Officer, VP Corporate Affairs, Hillenbrand
Peter Smith, President, DME

Learn how a systems thinking approach to environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) can help the plastics and mold manufacturing industries build a more sustainable future. Presenters represent companies that participate in the material processing of a molded part from the point of granule creation, support of mold design and manufacture through the lifecycle of molding, and increasingly in the return of material back into the value stream as well as technologies for improved mold design and productivity through a part's lifecycle.

This session will review macro trends and ideas for how manufacturers can respond, such as diversity initiatives for current workforce challenges, concrete ways to move from a linear to circular economy, a holistic approach to regain North America's global competitive advantage, early systems thinking and design supported by new methodologies, tools and technologies for the mold builder and molder to build a more sustainable future.

LEGISLATION: Recent Tax Changes Impacting R&D Credits for Mold Builders

Casey Barka, Co-Founder & VP, Tax Credit Services, Strike Tax Advisory

The moldmaking industry's highly innovative nature qualifies most mold builders for the R&D tax credit. Enacted in 1981, this credit rewards U.S.-based companies for their continuous investment in innovation, allowing businesses to recover up to 10% of their qualified R&D expenses. While this $22B government incentive remains one of the most lucrative tax credit reliefs, only one in three qualifying companies takes advantage of it. In late 2022 and early 2023, recent changes to various legislations could cause major impacts for mold builders. This session will debunk some of the misconceptions that hinder companies from claiming the credit and highlight some of the recent changes, including:

CHIPS Act alters the R&D tax credit for the first time in 7 years
- Increasing R&D payroll tax credit provisions for start-ups
- Set aside an additional $39 billion for domestic manufacturing
The TCJA is now in effect for the first tax filing deadline
Changes to Section 174 and the impact on tracking and claiming expenses
- The need to have more rigorous bookkeeping to substantiate records
- Likelihood of increased tax burden